Candidate for
County Legislator; Westchester County; Legislative District 7

Legislator Judy Myers has lived in the Town of Mamaroneck for 27 years. She was first elected County Legislator for the 7th district in a special election in February 2005, then re-elected in November 2005 and November 2007.

Myers has accomplished a great deal in her four years in office. As Chair of the County Board's Family, Health and Human Services Committee in 2006 and 2007, Judy turned the committee's attention to tackling a wide range of critical issues -- from childcare to AIDS to saving the Westchester Medical Center. She succeeded in increasing access to quality childcare through a county scholarship program. For the current 2008-2009 legislative term, Myers was elected to serve as the Majority Whip for the Democratic caucus. In this leadership position, she serves on each of the legislature's major committees, including the Budget and Appropriations Committee, to carry out the majority caucus' legislative priorities.

Myers represents the County Board on the 13-member Westchester County Board of Health, working to incorporate the public health concerns and initiatives of the Board of Legislators with those of the Board of Health and Department of Public Health. Additionally, she serves as a member of the newly formed Joint Review Committee at the Westchester Medical Center. This committee functions as a forum for information and feedback on the fiscal and operational health of the medical center in Valhalla.

Following the devastating floods of March and April 2007, Myers was appointed to the County Executive's Flood Action Task Force to develop a $10 million per year funding mechanism for municipal flood mitigation projects. To date, twelve projects are in the pipeline and four are in the final stages of funding approval. She has also addressed the critical need for more open space in the southeastern part of the county by pushing forward the county's plan to clean up and acquire Davids Island in New Rochelle as a county park; helped to shape Rye Playland's new master plan and landscaping plans for the Jay Heritage Center in Rye; and is currently working with local advocates in their bid to open the Westchester Children's Museum at Playland. To ease the playing field shortage in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, Myers successfully secured $1.5 million to help build a new athletic field that opened in 2008 in Larchmont's Flint Park.

As a proponent of greater regional planning, inter-municipal cooperation and open government, Myers has fought to keep taxes under control in the face of rising medical and retirement costs, both at the town and the county levels. During her prior six years on the Mamaroneck Town Council, Myers took on critical land use issues that threatened the Town's quality of life. These included preventing the mega-store Ikea from destroying residential areas; helping to develop commercial property design guidelines; placing limits on noisy blasting and rock removal; controlling the over-development of "McMansions"; and, passing legislation to protect wetlands and watercourses.

In addition to serving as the 7th District's County Legislator, Myers serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Westchester-Putnam, and on a number of community boards, including the Rye YMCA; the Mamaroneck CAP Center; and the Community Advisory Board of the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound. She is an active member of the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Summit; RADAR; the League of Women Voters; and the Westchester Women's Agenda.

Judy is married to Ira Schwartz, has two grown children and two golden retrievers.